1992 750 SX and SS rebirth

Being fairly new to the aquatic community I found both of these for 500.00 and figured why not right? Anyway, any recommendations from others from their experiences hwo rebuilt them? Considering the age for these 2, they started up for sitting for almost 5 years. So far I rebuilt the carbs on both as well as replaced the K&N flame arrestors. As for the hulls, they suffer from minor dings, few gouges and scratches. I am in the process of removing the factory stickers from both of them and fixing the above mentioned problems. As for the ski's, they have some aftermarket parts already installed on both of them. I have to look at the paper work I got with them and will post later. Any recommendations from others who took on these types of projects in the past?

The only thing I see on the SX is a coffman exhaust, after market water box and the K&N air filter. I'm sure more is done considering both skis came from the same person. I would ask the original owner but he's dead.

I am not looking for speed demons, I understand that with these particular models. I am looking for a good solid ski to hit the water with. Any suggestions on any other part I should add to any of these PWC's to increase performance would be greatly appreciated.

On machines this old, proceed with caution removing decals. They really stick to the paint. I had the bottom halfs repainted years ago. There was a blue vinyl stripe that needed to be removed. Tried heatgun, scotchbrite pads by hand, scotchbrite wheels on a drill gun, etc. What a pain. Body shop used Sikkens brand automotive paint. Single stage, not a base-coat then clear-coat method for no reason other than it was a little cheaper and I wasn't looking for a new-car finish on the bottom side of the skis. A few years on the water, rocks, beaching, docking, and power washing, the paint is really standing up well. Trouble area to get to is where the jet nozzle lives. If I could do it over again, I would have taped off the stripe. Or painted over it!! Nozzle removes with four 10MM bolts and the steering linkage has a spring loaded clamp-on system & easy to figure out.

The rub strips are rivited on. Probably perfectly removable, but I had no reason to. The nose & rear corners, along with rear bumper, are easily removable and sand easily. Very forgiving. Have to remove the rear corners before you can remove the rear strip. If yours are broken or really bad, easy to come by/cheap used on ebay. To remove the rear corners, the sides come off first, then the back. To install, the back goes on first, then sides with a light smack. You will see how this works once you remove the corners. Krylon makes a gray that matches OEM very closely. The rubber gunwhale strip can be removed, cleaned, and the Krylon adheres to it nicely. Front & rear eye hook thing are common stock at marine supply places for a few bucks each.

For $500, I'd say you got yourself a steal, especially if on a double trailer. Given the amount of aftermarket, I'd assume the owner replaced the fuel & oil lines and their hose clamps. Instead of guessing, I'd probably replace them again if I was you. Even if the look good -- from the outside.

Both of my skis are 100% bone stock as far as performance goes. I'm content with what they are. The automotive world can spoil you - spend a few hundred bucks & you will feel & see improvements. Not always the case in watercraft. You might find yourself limited to what colors you can do when considering the blue/purple handlebar covers. There are no aftermarket on these that I can find. Some go for the motorcycle look. The front storage cover and the steering shaft surround are plastic, so best to talk to a paint/body man to ensure he knows how to paint these.

+1 by:

Pull the fuel pick-up on the SS. Look it over good and clean if needed. They are made of plastic and had chrome coating. It peels and plugs up alot of stuff. Check the return and pick-up tubes. Also get a block-off for the bottom end moisture drain on the SS. It is the choke looking thing on the motor on the front left side.
I had an SS and they are very fun little skis.
The above mentioned things were issues I had on mine but sounds like your was gone thru a bit with some mods so...
The SS mostly came with small pin single carb motors and are fairly reliable. Good electronics and make sure sump works: no plugs to drain.
Good luck.

I will be posting pics of the SX soon, they both are currently in the shop getting worked on. I will be back in havasu this weekend and get a few then. As for the SS, I ran into the problem of a stripped out drive shaft, minor set back, and should be ready to roll this weekend. I went through and replaced all the hoses, flushed the fuel systems, cleaned and rebuilt the carbs, replaced fuel lines (both) on both and replaced the plugs and wires. As for the block offs, they both have them in place and doulble checked the fittings. I replaced the bilge assemblies on both skis and I am currently waiting for the rule pumps I ordered to come in to install them. Getting the stickers off of the skis was easy, I used the 3M rubber wheel and they came right off. This winter will be the time when both skis will be completely stripped down and getting over hauled and painted. MAACO quoted me 400.00 a ski to repaint them, all things considering I was suprised. On the paint subject, would you recommend paint (of any type) or go with re gel coating them?